For many years the name Tamworth has been synonymous with Country Music and the annual Tamworth Country Music Festival has long been the highlight of the Australian Country Music calendar. Started over 40 years ago, the festival is held in January each year over a period of 10 days and attracts acts and visitors from all over the world. With over 50,000 visitors every day, the Tamworth Country Music Festival is an important event for Australian country music lovers.
Not only is this the largest music festival in Australia, it’s also the largest country music event in the southern hemisphere.
Like every year, this year the music festival is set to be an unforgettable experience with over 2,800 shows running in the span of ten days. The highlights for 2019 include Toyota Golden Guitar Awards, Coca Cola Country, Tamworth Strongman, ABCRA National Finals, Country Music Attractions, and Toyota Country Music Cavalcade.
Curious about the origins of this amazingly popular music festival? Read on!
History of the Tamworth Country Music Festival
The Tamworth Country Music Festival was started in 1973 when local country music radio station 2TM created the Country Music Awards and planned the festival to draw recognition to the awards. The festival has often been recognised as one of the ten best music festivals in the world. It’s no surprise that accommodation in Tamworth books out months in advance.
If you’re visiting Tamworth outside of the Tamworth Country Music Festival period there’s plenty to do and country music fans are still well catered for.
The Tamworth Visitor’s centre is a shrine to the local Country Music history and is fronted by the Big Golden Guitar, an Australian icon. The Big Golden Guitar is an enormous replica of the Golden Guitar awards presented each year at the country music awards and is known throughout the world identifying Tamworth as the Australian home of country music.
The Walk a Country Mile Museum is located in the Visitor’s Centre and tells the story of the shaping of the Australian country music industry in an interactive and entertaining way. The Big Golden Guitar Gallery of Stars Wax Museum is a must see and houses a collection of wax figurines of the biggest names in Australian country music including display boards outlining their achievements and biography.
The Australian Country Music Hall of Fame is a relatively new addition to the Tamworth Country Music attractions and was created to protect and preserve Australia’s country music history and in the process promote the industry. The Hands of Fame Cornerstone, in the tradition of Hollywood Boulevard, immortalises the hand prints of prominent contributors to the Australian country music industry. There are over 300 hand casts in concrete in a garden setting with admission free.
Accommodation in Tamworth
If you’re on a budget, Econo Lodge Gateway Tamworth is the perfect place to stay. Just a short distance from popular attractions like the famous Golden Guitar and Wax Museum, Econo Lodge Gateway Tamworth provides everything you need on your getaway.
